Craving more freedom and fun than they had in their careers, two Canadian pals, Taylor Loren and Elaine Rystead, hopped in a car, quit their jobs and started driving. They knew they were headed for Mexico, but figuratively, they had no idea what they were chasing other than what made them happy and what felt right. And, as is often the case, doing what they really love is what ended up being the most rewarding business they could have ever imagined. Today, the lovely lasses of Local Wanderer are taking time out of their globe-trotting lives to chat about business, localism vs. tourism, what a career in social media means, copycats and more. –Sabrina

When one thinks of minimalism, the capital “M” design movement that came to prominence in the late 1960s typically springs to mind. From visually austere work by artists like Donald Judd to the spartan interiors and home decor championed by brands like Muji, the term Minimalism has heretofore been associated with distinctly Modernist forms and materials. If recent shifts in design currents are any indication, though, people are becoming interested in reinvestigating and reinterpreting the meaning of this term. With ventures like The New Minimalism or shops like The Primary Essentials coming to the fore, we are now seeing a new way in which artists, designers, and homeowners are engaging with the less-is-more impulses of minimalism; one that places emphasis not on industrial materials or luxurious appointments, but the storied imperfections of the handmade and handed-down. What seems to be a rejection against the “pile it high and sell it cheap” mentality of modern life, this development showcases a desire to live with less by assigning more meaning and consideration to a small collection of important, treasured objects. Check out the slideshow for some beautiful takes on this new trend! —Max

After leaving her corporate textile design job in 2010, Michelle Fifis wanted to keep her momentum going, stay up with the trends and industry news and keep track of her inspiration and resources, so she created the blog Pattern Observer. Today, Michelle is a successful textile designer who has worked with such clients as Lucy Activewear, Columbia Sportswear, Jantzen Swimwear, Pendleton and P&B Textiles. On her blog, she continues to write about business and textile design and her membership community, The Textile Design Lab, offers learning and networking opportunities to hundreds of designers worldwide. She’s chatting with us about that seemingly icky word that doesn’t have to be: marketing! –Sabrina

Libby VanderPloeg is an illustrator, letterer and designer who grew up on the edge of the Great Lakes dunes in the lovely Grand Rapids, MI. Though she’s since moved to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, her affinity for storytelling, music, letterforms, printed ephemera, and wildlife has remained with her. Libby’s charmingly witty and beautifully descriptive 24-hour guide is filled with all the goodness in life, from food and drink to art and antiques. Click through to read her short-story-esque city guide! –Sabrina

Every once in a while, people luck out and find their dream home on the first try. Other times, it takes years to find the perfect space. For Tobe and Eric Reed, they had to look at over 200 homes until they found one that was just right. Convinced that they originally wanted a fixer-upper, the Reeds spent a long time looking for the perfect makeover project. But after three failed offer attempts, they expanded their search to see more move-in-ready homes. The home they would eventually call their own was outside of their budget range during the majority of their search process, but as luck would have it, it fell into their range toward the end of their hunt.

Eric and Tobe loved the home’s mid-century character and the fact that it was centrally located in their hometown of Overland Park, KS (the couple works on opposite ends of the city). So three years ago they moved in and they’ve worked on making it feel like their home ever since. Tobe, a blogger, shop owner and graphic design/social media manager for Hallmark Cards and Eric, a Fire Protection Engineer, share their home with their daughters Ava and Grace and a rescue cat named Tucker. Their family has worked together to create a space that not only welcomes their friends and family, but makes each member of their family feel comforted and at home. I love all of the family pieces they’ve incorporated into their space, along with cherished artwork by friends. Tobe explained, “It’s so important to love where you live, and we’ve taken great care to surround ourselves with things that we love and that serve our lifestyle. While I may never be content to just leave things alone for awhile (or even five minutes), I think it comes from a need to move and shift to best reflect the people that live here and how we need our home to function.” I think they’ve done just that and I’m so thrilled to peek inside their beautiful home today. xo, grace

Sometimes, when two equally wonderful things collide, something even more spectacular results. For me, that is exactly what happened when Dusen Dusen collaborated with SNL cast member Aidy Bryant for the debut of their first home collection.

Designer Ellen Van Dusen’s clothing line, Dusen Dusen, has been a smash hit since its debut in 2010 and now Ellen has teamed up with her friend, buyer Ada Egloff, to create a collection of home goods for fall 2015. The collection continues with Ellen’s trademark style of bold primary colors brought to life in the form of whimsical patterns and prints. The debut collection includes rugs, pillows, towels, bedding, throws and poufs — all modeled expertly by Aidy and the official canine mascot of Dusen Dusen, Snips the dog. Aidy’s sense of humor is a perfect match for the fun, upbeat mood of the collection and I love seeing them all wrapped together. The photoshoot basically looks like my ideal slumber party fun, complete with an adorable dog and funny friends. Dusen Dusen Home won’t be in stores until August, but today we’re thrilled to share an exclusive look at the full collection. I can’t wait to get my hands on those towels — those have summer written all over them. Thanks so much to Ellen and Ada for sharing this peek with us today! Click here to check out more Dusen Dusen online. xo, grace

It’s fitting that when Casey Shagena decided to open her first business, a boutique housed in a beautifully refurbished Airstream Trailer, she chose to name it “Menagerie.” The term typically refers to a collection of unique specimens — wild animals usually — but for Casey, it acts almost as a guiding principle. The impulse to hunt, to find, and to collect beautiful things is something that extends well beyond the small-batch goods sold at Casey’s shop, all the way down to the Portland apartment that she shares with her boyfriend, graphic designer Lou Medel.

“Lou and I are collectors,” Casey says. “We’re both very sentimental people, so even though we wanted to get rid of a lot when we moved to Portland, the majority of our treasures came along.” Located in an old Victorian house, the couple’s apartment is a veritable menagerie of treasures, from thrifted curiosities to vintage textiles and mid-century furnishings. Different time periods and historic styles rub elbows with each other, creating a patchwork of memories and stories to be saved. With classic architectural details, great light, and views of downtown Portland, this charming home seems the perfect place to kick back, dream, and be inspired. —Max

It’s hard to predict what will inspire people the most when it comes to photography online. Sometimes the most specific concepts yield the most impressive results and, other times, something more open and vague, like the idea of texture, can produce the most incredible images. Texture was this month’s DS Hashtag Challenge and I was blown away to see the over 5,000 images that were shared in less than a month. From stunning still-life photos of mushrooms and flowers to the tiniest cat whiskers and footprints, you all were able to capture moments in time that were not only beautiful, but showed just how big of a role texture plays in art and design. This was one of my favorite challenges to date and I can’t wait to keep watching this feed as it grows along. Thank you so much to everyone who shared these photos, and more, with us. xo, grace

It’s incredible how much environment can shape and inform the work we do. Since moving to a small town upstate, I’ve found myself less interested in the highly linear and graphic artwork that I typically prefer and more interested in watercolor, pastels and gouache in a way I never was before. I feel like my mind is adapting to a bit more open space and no matter what the reason is, I’m happy to be exploring work that feels fresh and new to me.

Megan Williamson is a Chicago-based painter whose work reminds me of my favorite Fauvist painters combined with a nod to contemporary pattern and textile design. I love the way she uses bold brushstrokes, big swaths of saturated color and works in bits of pattern here and there. (Her work has even been turned into wallpaper!) I thought it would be a beautiful way to end the week, surrounded by so much color and life. Click here to check out more of Megan’s work (you can buy her originals online). Until Monday, have a safe and happy weekend! xo, grace

On this column we strive to always share recipes that are simple and seasonal. Based on the Instagram pictures I’ve been seeing of the icy Hudson River, and emails from home, however, I thought I would give our friends suffering from the cold weather something to look forward to when the sun finally comes. Photographer Valery Rizzo is sharing with us this week her very simple recipe for a caprese salad. The beauty of the salad lies in its simplicity. Seek the freshest ingredients to maximize the flavors of the salad, which marry perfectly. If you’re in the southern hemisphere, you can try it out now with your finest local ingredients. -Kristina

About Valery: Valery Rizzo is a Brooklyn-based portrait, food and lifestyle photographer with a passion for telling stories. Her work appears in print, web and exhibition across the globe, as well as in the Brooklyn Navy Yard Archives. Clients include Bon Appétit, Edible Brooklyn, Kinfolk, Organic Gardening, Télérama, Interior Design, New York Magazine and many more. In addition to her commercial work, Valery is also working on a number of personal contemporary photography projects, one of which is a series for a book focused on the rapidly changing borough of Brooklyn, where she was born. She lives in Park Slope and can often be found photographing urban farming, chefs, restaurants, and makers. Find her on Instagram, Twitter, her website and her blog, Eating Brooklyn.

One of my major design struggles is balancing my love of upholstered anything with my love of animals. Whether it’s Turk scratching up the side of our sofa or Hope tracking in dirt or carrying her food onto the chair, we’re always dealing with some sort of upholstery clean-up. Even if your home doesn’t include pets or children, regular use of any upholstered furniture will require cleaning and touch-ups at some point. I try to prevent anything major with semi-regular cleaning, but for today’s Home Ec post I wanted to share a guide to cleaning upholstered furniture and protecting it from pets. xo, grace

On last week’s episode of Broad City (which, by the way, if you are not watching, stop what you are doing immediately and do so), we found our protagonists Abbi and Ilana falling into a trap that befalls many in today’s day and age — the inexplicable dissolution of time that happens when one falls down the black hole of The Internet. One second, you’re checking your Facebook, and the next, 10 hours have gone by, you’ve consumed every Top-10 list that Buzzfeed has to offer, and you’ve forgotten how to walk and speak in complete sentences. Looking back, today’s all-you-can-eat Internet culture makes once cutting-edge films like The Net and You’ve Got Mail seem downright quaint.

That massive preliminary digression aside, though, the Internet — while admittedly a massive time-suck — can lead to some pretty awesome things. For instance, on one such trip down the good ol’ Internet black hole, I stumbled serendipitously upon the artwork of Helene Comeositos, AKA Monochrome. Based in Helsinki, Helene works as an illustrator and updates her Instagram with daily black and white sketches in her signature irreverent, creep-tastic style. Simultaneously unsettling, witty, and funny, these drawings have become one of my favorite things about my Instagram feed — and certainly make all the photos of coffee that fall in-between more tolerable. So, yes — I might need to taper back my rampant Internet consumption a bit. But for all the headache that the addictive cacophony of Pin-twit-agram-book causes, little treats like this definitely make it worthwhile. Continue after the jump for more bits of Helene’s work. —MaxVIEW MORE

Few things are as inspiring to me as fresh flowers. Whether you group them in a simple vase or create something spectacular, it’s hard to beat their raw beauty. Sierra and her team at Poppies & Posies created these colorful floral mandalas last week and were kind enough to share them with us today. If you need an idea for a special event, wedding or just an unexpected dinner party display, a smaller version of this would be beautiful in the center of a circular table. xo, grace

Brooklyn will always be our first love here at Design*Sponge. It’s one of the most creative boroughs in New York and it was home to many members of our team for a very long time. So we’re never surprised, but always happy, to find more beautiful homes right under our noses. Tack and Ward designer Stefanie and Art Director Andy have been living in and decorating their railroad-style for the last year and a half. Personalizing their space was of the upmost importance, so family heirlooms and mementos from world travels fill their four-room apartment. Getting used to the winters was a challenge for these southern transplants, but the blank canvas that the space offered was just the right distraction from the winter blues. Having grown up near the North Carolina coast, Andy’s love of all things nautical can easily be seen in small touches throughout the space. Whether it’s a photograph or his surfboard, it’s clear that his love of the sea had major implications for the couple’s home. Stefanie runs her company from the apartment so it had to be both cozy and functional — somewhere she wouldn’t mind spending an entire day working away. It took the couple six months to get the entire space up to their standards and we love the final result- especially in a rental. They’ve mastered the art of using area rugs to add color and warmth and adding temporary shelving to hide less-than-perfect parts of an older rental. Click through to see more ways Stefanie and Andy turned their Greenpoint rental into a warm and nautically-inspired home. Enjoy! —Garrett

One of the toughest decisions to make when moving into a new space is what to keep and what to change. Damaged and broken-down elements are easy choices, but what about when something is functional, but just not your style? This was the case with Dala Al-Fuwaires of Thyme & Tamarind and her husband AJ’s kitchen. After buying their very first home in Phoenix, AZ, Dala and AJ started to work on their new space. While they both loved their home’s lakefront property, the kitchen just didn’t work for them. But they felt like they should live with the space for a while to see if it grew on them. It turns out they could live with it — for seven years. But last year, the time came to finally tackle turning this dark brown oak and laminate kitchen into the kitchen of their dreams. While Dala’s plans set a schedule of finishing the project in two weeks, it ended up taking two months (which I still think is pretty good for a full makeover!) and the final result is stunning. Those black and gold lights over the counters really seal the deal for me and I can’t wait to share the rest of the makeover. Click through for the before and after photos! xo, grace